Consider Corn Challenge: Just a Few Days Remain!

March 7, 2019

Consider Corn Challenge: Just a Few Days Remain!

Only days remain to submit a proposal for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Consider Corn Challenge II. A successful proposal will outline how the project will enable a new market for corn, have a clear path to commercial scale and use components of the corn kernel as a primary feedstock.

“Finding new and innovative uses for field corn in order to utilize 75 million bushels by 2020 is what we are striving to do,” said Director of Market Development Sarah McKay. “There is a lot of great research work going on right now in the industry, and we are hopeful that anyone who is developing bio-based materials from corn will enter the contest.”

Three to six winners will be selected for a total prize pool of U.S. $150,000. Submissions are due March 20, 2019 at 5 p.m. EST. This year’s winners will be announced at the BIO’s World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology in Des Moines, Iowa on July 8, 2019.

NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.

CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.

The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.